1. Field
The inventive concepts herein relate to a method of correcting patterns, and more particularly, to a method of correcting patterns for a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
When manufacturing a semiconductor device, a photolithography process may be performed to define fine patterns of the semiconductor device. A mask pattern of a photo mask is transferred to a photoresist layer on a substrate by a light source, thereby defining the fine patterns. However, the dimensions of the actual defined fine patterns on the substrate may vary from the original design dimensions, e.g., the dimensions may differ from each other depending on a location of the defined fine patterns. For example, while the light from the light source passes through the photo mask, the intensity of the light at different locations on the photo mask may vary by a variety of optical factors, thereby causing variation of the dimensions of the fine patterns. In addition, when a lens is disposed between the light source and the photo mask, the dimensions of the fine patterns may be further varied by roughness of a surface of the lens and/or aberration of the lens.
As design rules of the semiconductor devices are gradually reduced, non-uniformity of the dimensions of the patterns may increase. Therefore, a variety of ways for correcting the dimensions of the patterns have been researched.